Breiner's Seven Points Help Ducks Swim by Bears

* * * *

EUGENE – Alex Breiner tallied a career-high seven points to help lead the Oregon lacrosse team to a 16-14 win at conference-foe California on Friday. The Ducks improve to 2-0 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and 5-6 overall this season with the win.

Breiner's outburst moves the senior into sole possession of third on UO's all-time scoring list with 154 career points. The senior led the Ducks with four goals and tied a game high with three assists. Friday's effort gives the Alexandria, Va., native 28 points in the last seven games.

Five other players contributed three or more points for the Ducks in the win. Nikki Puszcz poured four points on three goals and an assist while Maggie Kovacs (three goals), Jess Drummond (three goals), Bina Barrett (three assists) and Shannon Propst (two goals, one assist) finished with three points each.

Vail Horn got Cal on the board first with a tally 2:14 into the contest. Puszcz and Propst put Oregon in front with goals at the 3:19 and 5:18 marks, respectively, to put the Ducks ahead for the first time at 2-1.

The Golden Bears jumped back in front by scoring three-consecutive goals, making it 4-2 with just 8:32 gone by. That scoring run was doubled up by the Ducks, who tallied six-unanswered goals to go back ahead 8-4 with less than seven minutes remaining in the opening stanza. Drummond and Breiner tied it up with goals 1:07 apart, Kovacs put Oregon in front with her first goal of the day, Breiner found the back of the net again to expand the lead and Puszcz completed her hat trick with two goals to cap the scoring streak.

California clawed back into the contest by scoring the last three goals of the first half to cut the deficit to 8-7 at halftime.

Oregon can Cal traded goals 10 seconds apart a minute and half into the final period as Breiner put the Ducks up two and Megan Takacs brought the Golden Bears back within a shot. From there, the Ducks scored five-straight goals to make it 14-8 with 21:21 left.

California scored the next three goals, but Oregon got tallies from Propst and Breiner to make it 16-11 with under nine minutes left.

Undeterred, Tara Arolla brought the Golden Bears within three with two-straight goals. The Oregon defense was able to hold the lead at three until Chapin Johnson made it 16-14 with 55 seconds left, the closest California got the rest of the way.

Oregon held a slight lead in shots, 28-26, for the day and also scooped up 18 groundballs to Cal's 16. The Golden Bears held a 19-12 advantage in draw controls, but the Ducks only turned the ball over 11 times and forced 14 miscues.

Caroline Federighi made her second-straight start in goal for the Ducks and picked up her second win by making three first-half saves. Salliebeth Finnegan played the second half and made five saves to keep the Ducks in front.